All of the actors take a bow as the curtain closes. The crowd erupts.
Despite numerous microphone issues on the first day, the cast and crew behind the Grease musical were able to put on five fabulous performances. Full of dancing, comedy, and great storytelling, the musical was a success and a delight to everyone who watched it.
You might ask, “Who’s behind all this?” Well, if you’re looking for specifics, there were our directors, Mrs. Hilliard and Mr. Rossolo. There were numerous stage crew members, all decked out in black, who helped set up props, including the famous Grease Lightning. There was a Broadway-level choreographer, Jonathan Dummar. And of course, there was our stage director, Chase Reuter.
Prior to high school, Reuter had no experience with directing of any sort. As he recalls, he lived a relatively peaceful childhood here in Reno, attending Our Lady of Snows for middle school. His parents got divorced when he was a year old, and he has no biological siblings, so he currently lives with his mother. However, if you asked him about his family, he would likely include Garrett Davis, an unrelated family friend living by the East Coast that Reuter would be proud to call his brother. He likes to visit him and his father as often as possible, making the trip every chance that he gets and staying for as long as he can. Since his mother never goes with him to these trips, Reuter has gotten quite used to flying solo.
When freshman year rolled around, Reuter wasn’t even auditioning to be part of the cast, let alone being the manager. Instead, he spent his time snapping for the freshman football team, battling cancer in his right leg, trying out for the golf team, and overall just getting by with his schoolwork. It wasn’t until he signed up to participate in the stage crew for Monty Python’s Spamalot that he fell in love with the musical. “I’m gonna be completely honest – I joined because I was promised twenty service hours,” Reuter told me. It was from there that he discovered his passion for directing and filming. It was because of this he stepped up the role of stage manager for our high school performance of Grease.
From what Reuter recalled, the work was definitely fatiguing. “Basically, you show up for every rehearsal, take attendance, figure out why the people that are absent are absent, and cover lines and choreo for the absentees,” Reuter reported. “Later on, we’ll build props and move to the small gym. About a month before the play starts, I help stage crew with their cues.”
Along the way, Reuter and the crew dealt with many issues that slowed their progress. “Towards the beginning, some of our actors prioritized sports, which was kind of expected,” he said. “We were on script for a couple weeks longer than we should have been… and a couple of people have trouble memorizing their music.” He later adds that despite these issues, he had faith that they could pull it together and put on one heck of a show. And put on one heck of a show they did.
According to Reuter, the stress, angst, and mental fatigue of being the stage manager was worth it. “It was a very fun experience. I got to meet a lot of great people, uh, made a lot of lasting friendships, and I believe we’ll go much further than just high school,” Reuter says of the whole adventure. “There were a lot of great people…even when everyone’s stressed, we can all band together and lift each other up.”
Additionally, all this stress came with a ton of relaxation. After rehearsals, performances, or in between double rehearsals, Reuter and the gang would do something outside of school to celebrate a successful show, plan for the next rehearsal, or simply to unwind. They frequented places like BJ’s, Handel’s, and Yogurt Beach. Other nights they went to each other’s houses, singing karaoke until midnight, “growing bonds,” to paraphrase Reuter. The cast and crew became much more than just that, and all around everyone became really close with each other.
These bonds were why everyone was on the verge of tears as the seniors gave their closing speeches. It was the final performance, and all the seniors were giving their farewell speeches. “I’ve told the seniors that if they don’t show up [to the musical] next year, I will track them down,” Reuter says jokingly. “I’m not going to say I got emotional, but it was bittersweet.”
There remains just one more question: will we ever see Reuter again at the helm? You bet, and he isn’t considering otherwise anytime soon. “I definitely am gonna [be stage manager] again if I don’t take a role next year,” Reuter said.
Regardless of whether he’s the main guy in black or the main character, look forward to seeing Chase Reuter on stage for the next musical. You bet he’ll do great things in the future.
